Homecoming: The College Years
by dontrun
Summary: The continuing story from the fic Homecoming. Better description coming soon.
1. Prologue

**Trying to find my muse again after a lot of really hard losses. I've decided to try for the moment to focus on Homecoming: The College Years. Here is the prologue and it will be posting as its own story so keep an eye out for it.**

 **I still own nada...I wish I owned me some Sam Heughan though lol.**

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Prologue…

Just when you think the world is perfect and the happy ever after is all but a forgone conclusion, sometimes you wake up and realize that this is the real world. People grow, change, and sometimes bad stuff happens to them.

No happy ever after is ever guaranteed in real life. Nothing is every promised to be perfect. Even the Bible warns of rough roads to come.

As a group we never realized that after going through so much and thinking we had won the race, becoming adults could lead to so much hurt, heart ache and change. There are times I wish we could go back to the relative innocence we had before we all moved into the Cullen dormitory, before the stress of the real world hit our small group. I wish I could protect them all. I would even go back to being with Renee to give them back the peace they had if it would heal all the pain we are facing now.

If it could save us all.

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 **So should I keep going?**

 **Oh and I'm going to try and work on a couple others once I get back into the swing of writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we go... no promises on when the next one will be up just that it will be.**

 **This chapter and the last were beta'd by the lovely TwiD. None of the future chapters that I'm outlining have been beta'd.**

 **Trust people, trust I have a plan...**

 **Still owning nothing.**

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Chapter 1.

"Bella you ready to go?" Rose laughs as she asks from my doorway. My standoff with my fur child holding my left sneaker was apparently amusing to her.

"I don't think Noel understands that finals are important." Alice joins Rose in her laughing. Rolling my eyes I pick up my baby girl and snuggle her, not caring about the puppy fur that might end up on me.

"Noel I promise that after this week I will pay more attention to your cute booty." I promise her.

"I hope my booty will be in on that whole more attention next week." Edward jokes coming out of my bathroom. It really should be called our bathroom since he basically lives in my room and uses my bathroom all the time.

"Really Edward, as your sister I object to hearing about your booty." Alice shoves him lightly. She is still slightly addicted to dropping legal terms.

"Ok enough we are so going to be late." Rose takes charge grabs Noel and hands her to Edward, before snatching up my shoe and handing it to me. "Let's get this done and over with chica, one week and we are free for Christmas break."

"I can't wait." I smile following her down the stairs after a wave to Alice and a quick peck on my pouting boyfriend's cheek. "Almost a month of doing nothing. This semester really burned me out."

"Well if you took five classes instead of six it would help, eighteen credits a semester is great in theory but in reality? Not so much."

"I know, I know, I have learned my lesson." Rose laughs lightly as we get into her pretty blue car and head off to SPU.

It was odd to be finishing my freshman year so early but with all of the college credits I built up in high school, my second official semester of college was also going to start my sophomore year. Alice was a few credits short of getting the same standing; it was cute to see her pout when she found out. I think we were all actually shocked when she started making plans for talking classes during Maymester and perhaps even the 1st summer classes to catch up, she was determined that we would walk that stage together. The way things were going Jasper would be walking with us. While he did well enough at the community college with his pre-reqs, he was finding classes at the university more difficult to pass.

Since the week after Thanksgiving Jasper had begun acting funny. We were all are worried about him. He was distant at times; you could be talking to him one minute and the next it was like he was never part of the conversation. His temper was easy to flare, sometimes for no reason at all. The once easy going guy had a hair trigger that really put me on edge at times.

His grades this semester were dismal for the most part; we were all worried he wasn't going to pull off passing ones. Everyone had offered to help; he hem hawed around for a few minutes and then turned us down flat. Alice did all she could to try and bring him around, but he was basically ignoring her too. Their relationship was strained and it was easy to see even to a relationship novice like myself that if something didn't change soon they were headed towards a break up.

"Earth to Bella." Rose's voice breaks into my mental breakdown of the past few months.

"Ummm…"I mutter slightly and she laughs.

"Onward young Swan, take your test." She jokes and then puts her hand on my shoulder and looks me dead in the eyes. "Leave the bad outside the door Bells, you need to focus. After the test then you can deal with whatever, and I have a good idea what it is so we'll all deal with it after this week." With a quick sisterly hug we take off in opposite directions towards the first of many tests we'd face.

Taking a deep breath before walking into the room I do my best to push my thoughts away and try to remember the relevant facts for this exam. While I was going to do all I could to help Jasper, right now I had to help myself get a passing grade on this exam.

~0~

"So how did your first final go?" Edward asks from his spot on the sofa as Rose and I come in.

"Good, it was just accounting two, so it wasn't that hard." I was lucky enough to take part one as an ap in high school.

"Well mine stunk." Rose informs us plopping down in the big comfy recliner chair. "Professor Know-it-all made us do fifty definitions, and two essays in the two hour allotted time period. Not simple definitions, we had to add as much detail as we could." She rolls her eyes. "I'm so glad I never have to take him again."

"What class Rose?" Edward asks politely, his hand rubbing my thigh gently.

"Intro to sociology, it was a basic 101 class but this guy has Ph.D. envy, only having a masters so he tries to make the classes as hard as he can. Masters only Profs are eligible to teach only intro classes, so I don't have to worry about him in my upper division courses." She explains. Rose had recently changed her major to social work, so she had to take a few 100 and 200 level classes that she missed when majoring in education.

"Sounds like a real winner there." Edward tells her sarcastically. "Makes me glad that I'm surrounded by computer geeks as Profs." I giggle at my hot computer nerd boyfriend.

"So far mine have all seemed fair and nice." I tell them honestly.

"You two stop rubbing it in how lucky you are and how I got the Prof shaft." We laugh as Rose grumbles. "Blah I need to take a nap and then study for tomorrows test, hopefully adolescent psych will be a cake walk test compared to today." We wave her off, cuddling on the sofa.

Who needs a nap when you have an Edward.

~0~

"Hello?"

"Hello sweetheart, how is my beautiful granddaughter today?" Smiling I sit down at my desk.

"I'm good Grandpa, how are you?" My Grandfather Connor had become one of my favorite people. While we had a rocky start that included me pulling a shotgun on him, now we have a great relationship that includes twice a week phone calls.

"Doing great for a man half my age." He jokes.

"Uh huh, if the man has high cholesterol and forgets to take his Lipitor daily." I chide him lightly. Grandpa didn't like taking medication, but I wanted him around for a long time to come so I had plans to remind him every chance I could get that he needs to take care of himself.

"Bella dear girl, I'm down twenty five points, so stop worrying." He tells me gently. "Now I was wondering if it is alright if I fly out the day after Christmas to spend some time with you?"

"Of course Grandpa!" I tell him excitedly. "Just you, or is the rest of the family coming?"

"Claire and myself will be it. Your Uncle is taking your Aunt away for a second honeymoon to Hawaii for a week and Claire and I voted to spend that week with you." I giggle thinking about my sister/cousin.

"I'm surprised Claire didn't call me already."

"This happened thirty minutes ago Bella, our dear Claire will more than likely be calling any moment now. We told her it was a surprise, so I'd give her an hour before trying to keep a secret about kills her and she calls you in a burst of confession." We both have a good laugh. Claire and secrets were like oil and water, the secrets could not stay part of my sister/cousin.

"Well I for one can't wait for you both to get here." I tell him. "And I'm sure Uncle Liam and Aunt Maggie will have a great time. They deserve the break." Claire's energy was higher than Alice's so I could only guess how worn out the pair had to be.

"I also have some other news for you Bella." His voice a little more serious, which worries me. "Your Aunt and Uncle are thinking about adopting another child, they've discussed this with Claire and while she said she was ok with it I just wanted you to know so you can help look out for any signs she might have concerns. Claire is so loved Bella, but Maggie has always wanted a house full of kids and knowing that there are so many out there in need of good homes she just couldn't hold off any more. They have been talking about this for years, but worried that Claire might feel like she wasn't enough."

"Grandpa if she needs me to talk to I'm here for her, I love my baby cousin and if she needs someone to talk to outside the family I think we both know a great therapist that can help her." I smile thinking of Liz. "But I know Claire and she has a huge heart and will probably make this baby more than welcome." I assure him.

"You're probably right sweetheart, but I'm an old man who loves and worries about his family, so don't hold it against me if I try to be prepared for any problems that might arise."

"We love you too Grandpa." I tell him softly.

"And I love you too my sweet Bells, more than words could ever express."

~0~

Finals week flew by and soon we all were loaded down ready to head home for the Holidays. Dad was bursting at the seams waiting on us to get home. He couldn't stop talking about how great it was going to be. While I agree that it's going to be great to be home and be with the people that mean so much to me, the people who saved me, it was going to be weird to sleep without Edward. But Charlie owns a lot of guns so it probably wasn't safe to bring that up at home, nor should I try to explain that I need my Edward teddy bear to sleep at night.

My last suitcase packed I mentally go down the list making sure I have everything. Making sure I have everything for Noel as well. Little miss could get cranky if her favorite stuffed animal wasn't there to sleep with at night.

"Sis are you about ready to head out?" Em asks coming into my room before he promptly plops onto my bed. Noel dashes from her spot on my desk chair to the bed to get to him. Free hands were available and she was so getting in on that. Em being a willing slave to Noel's need for love and attention gives my baby some love while he watches me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea, let me just get my toiletry bag and I'll be ready to go." I laugh when the little dog finally gets to her goal and covers Emmett's face in puppy kisses. He pretends he doesn't like it, but we've all seen him bend so she can get better leverage.

"Well get a move on girl. Mama Cullen and Mama Whitlock are putting a spread on to welcome home their litter of babies; I'm told we are included in their litter. I'm sure Dad would have helped, but Charlie knows how to microwave, order out and burn so it probably wasn't a good idea." He laughs and I have to join him. If it wasn't for our weekends home where I cooked and stored a lot of meals in the freezer, and for our friends' mothers Charlie's cholesterol would be off the charts. And since he had to watch his sodium intake with his high blood pressure it was even more important that he didn't buy a lot of Hungry Man dinners that are loaded down with the stuff.

"We are all thankful Dad isn't helping them cook." I agree out loud with him.

"Bella let's roll." Rose rushes in grabs one of my bags and my dog and rushes back out. Em and I just sit there staring at the door like fools because she moved so quick it was like she wasn't ever really there, only the breeze she left behind and my missing dog any evidence that she was actually here.

"We'd better go, she has my fur child." Rolling his eyes in a very Rose like manner he grabs my other bag heading towards the door. I follow quickly with Noel's bag of stuff. While she is my fur child, she is also Edward's spoiled baby and he buys her way to many things and Noel has a heck of a carry-on bag she needs for trips now.

"Baby are you riding with me or Em?" Edward asks taking Noel's bag, and giving me a sweet kiss on the top of my head.

"Em, we have to make a couple of stops, so we'll be a half hour or so behind you." He gives a sweet pout that I gently kiss away. What he doesn't know is Em and I are stopping to pick up Edward's gift. I had to special order it, and thankfully it finally came in this morning, I had been worried I'd have to buy him something else because his gift was late.

"Fine." He smiles. "I'll miss you." He whispers in my ear, walking me to the passenger door on my brother's jeep.

"I'll miss you more." I tell him with a small giggle.

"Ugh I'm getting nauseous from a sugar over load, let's roll people." Jasper grumbles climbing into the back seat of the jeep. Alice's eyes widen from beside Jasper's car where her bags were waiting to go in. Alice and Jasper were supposed to ride home together; she had asked him just last night if that was still the plan. Looking crushed her eyes go from Jasper to her car. Jasper for his part put his iPod ear phones in and leaned back closing his eyes. Edward took quick stock of the situation, glaring at Jasper, and grabbed Alice into a quick hug before loading her into his precious Lola. Knowing that Alice needed the support I can't help but walk over and hand her Noel for the trip. I know how much cuddling my baby calms me, so hopefully she will bring some peace to Alice.

Edward gives me a nod and smile, before kissing the top of my head whispering his love. I watch as he get into his car and buckles in, taking a glance at Alice before starting the ignition. With that he gave me a quick wave as they pulled out heading towards home. I could tell he wanted to get there quickly or at least away from Jasper before Edward's own tempter flared up.

Emmett and I stood still for a moment not sure what to do. I quietly made my way back over near my brother, the chill in the air making me shiver some. Unlike the rest of us Rose had no qualms about it; she flipped Jasper off, called him an asshole then got into her car and raced away in the direction that Alice and Edward just went.

"We have to do something." I tell Em. "That was just so…"

"Mean, wrong, messed up?" Em fills in the blank with all the right words, and I nod in agreement. "Stand back sis." He quickly moved me towards the front of the jeep and ripped open the back passenger door hauling Jasper out.

"What the hell man?" Jasper yells at Emmett.

"Exactly!" Em yells right back. "How the hell could you do that to Alice? She was waiting for you and you just ignore her? Not even a hey I don't feel like driving or something? You just ignore her?"

"Whatever Em, let's just go."

"No it is not a whatever. You just disrespected someone I happen to love and care about, someone you claim to love and care about. Not too long ago you were begging her brother to let her date you, now you just treat her like crap?"

"Screw you Emmett." Jasper growls and walks to his own car. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Jasper demands.

"Dude language and what is your problem?" Emmett asks following him. Jasper pulls his door open and slides in the driver's seat.

"At the moment? It's your nosey ass." With that he cranks his car and takes off in the opposite direction the others left in.

"Are you ok?" I ask my brother who looks shaken.

"Not really baby sis, that boy there has been one of my best friends as long as I can remember, and at the moment I don't even feel like I know him. Hell I'm not sure I even want to know him at the moment."

With a quick hug of support we both finish getting in the truck and heading home, where hopefully things can go back to normal. Though something was niggling the back of my mind telling me that nothing was ever going to be the same again.

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 **Again I DO have a plan lol.**

 **Hopefully in the next week or 2 I will have the next update.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one is a very quick update just so I can put something there and answer a few questions. I don't want to give away my plot but there has been nothing showing Bella and Edward drama at all in any chapter. I understand why people might be concerned but it seems the majority of my reviews have been asking me about cheating. I know people worry but I said I have a plan. I'm not trying to be a bitch I really am not. Its just I had a very upsetting pm that I actually had to report because it was threatening me and mine if I made Bella and Edward break up.**

 **FYI Bella isn't cheating on Edward nor is Edward cheating on Bella. Enough said..**

 **Charlie's POV**

The house has been so lonely without the kids. I go to work, go to the diner, go to the Rez and sometimes fish with Carlisle. In a small town like Forks there isn't a ton of crime to keep me busy, or an active nightlife that draws me out of the house.

Lately though I started posting on support forum for other empty nesting single parents. Its been a great help, and I've meet quite a few online friends. Though being a cop that's where it has stayed online. I've seen to many internet gone wrong missing persons reports come across my desk from near-by areas.

One lady though has me rethinking that firm line I put in place.

Her online names is LovingMommy38, mines CopDadWA. We've never exchanged names, but we have being from a small town in Washington in common, and having kids in college as well. She has one daughter away from home going to college in Chicago.

We spent many nights talking for hours in private messages. It was quickly becoming something that I looked forward to every night. I hope that we'll still get the chance to talk even with the kids here. Or that she will even want to with her daughter home for the holidays.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I continue wrapping the Santa gifts for under the tree that will hide in my closet until Christmas eve. Some mind think me a fool giving my college aged kids gifts from Santa but Bella has had so few years of it, and well Emmett would probably pout until Easter if there wasn't something from Santa.

Of course Emmett is why I have to wrap them up so quickly, he's a peeker

The slamming of a car door and the booming voice of my oldest child brings a smile to my face.

Finally my babies are home..

 **Thats all for now...  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**I still don't own.**

 **This is unbeta'd. Its short but it is a transitional piece to the rest of the story. I'm going to try and update again in 2 weeks, no promises but I'm trying to get back into the writing groove. I've also been working on a holiday one shot.**

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 **Jaspers POV**

The drive back to Forks, back home, gave me time to focus, to think. I was hurting all those I love. They didn't know what was going on with me, and I didn't know how to explain it. How to explain that the guy they knew as a good son, a good friend, a good brother, and a good boyfriend had a secret.

School till college was easy, we were all together. If I didn't have class with Edward I had it with Emmett or even Rose. I was a baseball star. I got by with the bare minimum of work and still graduated with no problem. Community college was basic level stuff, I didn't take anything too hard before the transfer. I took classes that had been rumored to be cake walks and got through them with grades high enough to transfer.

Don't get me wrong I can read, I'm passable at math and not stupid. I'm just not academically inclined. I sit in class and my mind wanders. I have no clue what I want to do though I keep telling the others that my major is set, I'm still undeclared. I'm a junior technically and I'm still undeclared.

I feel like the walls are starting to close down on me and I don't know how to tell my friends, and my sweet Alice that while they all have their futures set, I'm still struggling to figure out what I want. I don't want to be that guy, the one I see myself becoming the one without any kind of direction. My internal anger at myself was starting to manifest outwardly into pushing the others away. The crushed look on Alice's face though was my undoing. I knew I had to figure something out. I knew I needed to change.

 **Charlie's pov**

The station's decorations were up, the donation bins for kids were out and my kids were home safe. When I left the house Em was stretched out watching old Christmas cartoons, Bells was in the kitchen baking her heart out and Noel was snoozing away on my recliner. It felt like home.

"Charlie?" My deputy, Mark's voice drew my attention back to the station and I looked up from my computer.

"Yeah Mark?"

"You have a visitor." Mark's grin let me knew it was probably one of my kids.

"Who?"

"Jasper Whitlock." I laugh that boy probably needed a place to hide Alice's gift again.

"Send the kid back."

Less than a minute later a very different looking Jasper Whitlock came through my door. Instead of the tire iron wielding brave kid that always held an easy smile, he looked tortured and unsure. Oh God, Carlisle is going to kill him if he got little Alice pregnant. Hell I'm gonna kill him if he got that girl pregnant!

 **Jasper's POV**

I went to the man I knew didn't have a vested interest in my future ability to earn a wage. He wasn't my parent, and I wasn't dating his daughter. But I knew Charlie Swan still loved and cared about me in his own way. I knew he'd give me the best advice, without reminding me how much money doctors made. Or how much security a long-term military career could give me.

"Son, how can I help you?" His warm fatherly tone somehow made me feel like better about coming to him.

"Charlie, I need help."

"I take it this is more help then hiding Christmas presents from Alice?"

"Yeah, I'm so lost and I have no idea what I want to do, who I want to be. They all seem so sure and I struggle all the time with jealousy over my friends being so sure while I feel like I'm floating and drifting into nothing. I figured I'd get there and just know what I wanted to do." I pause. "I've been an asshole to them all, especially Alice because part of me wants to push her away." I collapse into to the chair in front of his desk and Charlie just sits there and stares at me and I'm starting to rethink coming to him.

Then he rubs his mustache, leans back and stares into my eyes like he is searching my soul. knew I made the right choice in that moment.

"Jasper I've known you since Emmett dragged you home from preschool and announced you were now his new brother. Not that you were his friend, no you were his brother. Since that day you've been part of my family, and I've watched you grow into a young man. Now I'm gonna tell you a little secret son. No one has it all figured out. Do you know how many people are actually living their dreams and doing exactly what they want with their lives?" I shake my head no and he gives a small smile. "Its very few people. Dreams change, people grow. Let me ask you this kid, and I want you to close your eyes and open your mind, I'm not judging you and I only want an honest answer. Can you do that?"

"Yeah." And to show him I close my eyes and take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Ok kid, it's your thirtieth birthday, college is over you figured out what you want, and who you want to be, life is exactly what you want and you know who you are, at least as much as any of us can know of that. What do you see?"

And like he asked I focused, I saw what was around me. It took a moment for it to come into view but I knew it like nothing else before. A weight fell off my shoulders, I could see it. I always knew that Alice was my perfect other half. I just never knew how connected that would be with my life choices. I thought back to high school, to when Bella showed up, to how I felt during all her struggles. I thought about the other relationships in my life. About how I felt during certain situations and I knew that the answer was in my face the whole time but I never really knew what I wanted until now. I never wanted to admit to it because it didn't fit with what everyone else was doing.

"Well son?" Charlie's voice warm and strong brought my eyes open and he nods. "You got it don't you, the answer?"

"I do Chief, I know what I want." I tell him firmly.

"That's good." He tells me and raises an eyebrow before pointedly looking at the photo on his desk of me with my friends on Alice and Bella's graduation day. The way I'd been treating them, the way I'd been acting, the asshole I had been flashed away and I was gripped with guilt and panic. "They love ya kid. But I'd start with the small one if you want the others to completely forgive you for being an ass. My kids talk Jasper."

"Chief should I skip chocolate and flowers and go straight to jewelry?"

"That might be wise son, that might be wise." And that is the moment that Charlie Swan became my Yoda.

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 **Thank you for reading. Again it was short but I wanted to get what was going on with Jasper out of the way. And there will be no cheating in HTCY for those that were worried.  
**


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